May 11: The Sunday beer and wine sales debate—shopping and politcs

By GRACIE GUNNELL
Published: May 11, 2008

It is time to come clean with the citizens of Pittsylvania County. I was the one who asked Callands-Gretna Supervisor Fred Ingram to introduce the idea of Sunday beer and wine sales.
It was not for my own gain, since I do not own a store or restaurant in the county. I was not going to profit from this passing.
The only thing I was hoping to accomplish from this was to see our county stop losing money on Sunday to the surrounding localities.
During the 2007 Board of Supervisors campaign, I asked some of the candidates what they thought of the idea of beer and wine sales on Sunday. Some told me they were against the sale of alcohol on Sunday, mainly for religious reasons. Ingram was one who did not back down. He felt the same as I did — that we are losing money to other localities when we are not selling it. It occurred to me that we elected the seven members of the Board of Supervisors to represent all of us — not just the religious community.
After Ingram was elected, I decided to wait a while until the board got settled before I talked to him again about the issue. Recently, we chatted — and my task was to visit with the storeowners, managers and people to encourage their presence at the May 5 Board of Supervisors meeting. I did that on my own. For the stores I did not go to, I sent a letter instead. None were returned. I went north, south, east and west. I did this because I felt a passion for the cause. I used my own money and time.
Little did I know that Ingram was going to put it on the work session two weeks before the May 5 meeting. That got the people to talking: “We don’t want it in our county.” People called supervisors, telling them not to support this and so on.
When I got to the May 5 meeting in Chatham, I realized we only had three votes for beer and wine sales. But the most disturbing part of the evening was all the people I had seen over the past month and had chatted with were not at the meeting. The only ones in attendance were three or four that had received the letter, my friend who owns a store and one friend who showed up after we had left, not knowing we were not going to be speaking.
I was disheartened that I was doing all of this for the business owners and they did not bother to show up to support me, because I was supporting them.
Let me ask this: Do we want nice restaurants? Do we want better schools? Do we want better recreation? Do we want people to patronize our businesses when they come here for special events such as Martinsville race weekends, the races at VIR or other events? I know I sure do. Wake up, citizens of Pittsylvania County.
Where can we get revenue in this county if everyone is against the ways to get revenue? Just because the revenue may come from beer and wine sales, is that so bad? Wouldn’t you rather the money and tax revenue from those sales go to projects here in our own county than to projects in Danville, or Henry, Campbell, Franklin, Bedford or Halifax counties?
We have a nice winery in Chatham that wants to attract tourists. They can’t do that on Sunday or promote their product for sale because they are under the same guidelines as the stores and restaurants. They cannot sell their product on Sunday.
Another reason I started all of this was last year when I was at one of the restaurants I go to very often in Henry County. The manager and I were talking.
We were chatting and I said “I wish you would come to Brosville so I would not have to come to Henry County so often.” He informed me that they had looked at Brosville but changed their mind. I left the conversation at that. A week later when I was back there again for our weekly takeout meal, I asked him if it had to do with us not selling beer and wine on Sunday and he said yes.
This is a nice restaurant. It has TVs in it and a nice family atmosphere. I would love to have a location in Brosville. But some of the citizens of Pittsylvania County are keeping it from coming here. So once a week I spend the money I make in Pittsylvania County and take it across the line to Henry County.
I came to Pittsylvania County in 1976, not by choice. In 1981, I did have a choice to leave, but I decided to stay and make the area my home. I moved to Danville for a short time and then in 1982 moved back to the county.
It would be nice to see us grow. But we can’t grow if we continue to let religion stand in the way of progress. I guess I will keep spending my money and shopping in Henry County or Danville on Sunday if that is what the majority of the citizens in the county prefer that we do in Pittsylvania County. I have to abide by the law, and I am a law abiding citizen.
One last thing: Why aren’t the people complaining about lottery sales on Sunday?
That is gambling! That is money going to the state. Is that different? That is money that is not even staying local.
• Gunnell lives in Brosville and hosts Gracie’s Town Meeting on Chatmoss Cablevision.